Lemon Grass and Ginger
by thelocalmaniac
Summary: Momiji Sohma is in love with Tohru Honda. She, however, fell in love with Kyo Sohma...five years ago. To this day Momiji still hasn't moved on, although he has tried. Then he meets the unmotivated, snarky author-to-be, Kaede Kusaki, and is captivated by her subtle charm. Will Momiji grasp his final chance at love? Is she even INTERESTED? MomijixOC (Rated M for later chapters)
1. Someone I'm Not Sure I Want To Meet

**( Hello, ladies and gents. I will be writing this story alongside writing another one, so new chapters won't be _particularly _close together. But they will come! I promise! Anyway, this is my first Furuba fanfic, and I really hope it pans out the way I imagined it to. Either way, this should be an interesting ride. This is mostly a MomijixOC story, though I will incorporate most of the original pairings as well, along with inviting some new characters of my own invention. This is a story about love—not that there won't be action and drama too, but the core basics of this is about love. So if you wanted blood and war, shoo fly. _ You're not getting one, no matter how much I love you. So comment, critique, compliment...whatever floats your boat. Reviews, reviews, please! )**

_Five years._ He hung his head, severely depressed, just like he was every time he thought of Kyo and Tohru together for that long. Although he'd given Kyo the ok for taking her away, that had never, _ever_ meant that he had given up, that he stopped loving her. Every time they met, he smiled just as he always had, banishing his sadness to some far off place, and made sure he was a pillar of support for her to lean on. Hoping she'd realize he loved her. Hoping Kyo would slip up and lose Tohru. These thoughts made him feel _terrible_, but Sohma or not, Momiji _was_ a man, and men got jealous. They had wants, they had needs. They fell in love. Normally Momiji didn't get like this—depressed, that is—but for Tohru? She could make him feel anything, just because it was her. _I'm still in love with her. I thought that I'd get over it. I gave her to Kyo, I knew she wanted him. But...even so..._He raked a hand through his sunny yellow hair, agitated.

"Momiji!" From where he was sitting, Momiji jumped, turning his head toward the voice. "I have gossip. _Lots_ and _lots_ of gossip!" He looked up, blinking, as his dorm roommate burst into the room. With strawberry blonde hair, bronze freckles splashing his cheeks and nose, and vibrant green eyes, Jinka Tsunade was what most people would call "handsome" at the very _least._ If Momiji didn't know any better, he'd suspect that Jinka was a Sohma. They'd been roommates since Momiji had come to the university, both of them being freshmen in college. Thinking back to the day they'd met, Momiji grinned, his bad mood already being wisped away.

_Without knocking, just as he would every day to come, Jinka burst into the room. His green eyes were wide and shining. Momiji turned his head, looking up from the ground, a picture of the Sohma family (plus Tohru) in his hands, looking surprised. He'd been the first one to get here of the three others he was meant to be rooming with, and had been setting up the part of the room he'd decided would be is. At the time, Jinka's hair had been slicked into spikes. Momiji, sheltered as he was, had never seen such an alternative hairstyle before. He had no idea how to react. So, he simply breathed out, "Oh my God."_

_"Actually, contrary to popular belief," his roommate drawled, eyes dancing, "I'm _not_ God, though people say we look alike."_

_Momiji laughed, and Jinka smiled back. "That's funny! So you're Jinka then, right? Jinka Tsunade?" asked the Sohma cheerfully. Even after all these years, he _still_ acted like a child._

_Jinka nodded. "Fact! Since you know me, I will assume that makes you Momiji Sohma." These two had gotten into contact the moment they realized they were to be roommates. The other two boys that were to be staying here were "too cool" to do such a thing. So Momiji and Jinka knew they would hit it off. Jinka looked him over, decided something, and nodded to himself. "You will definitely make an interesting friend." Momiji smiled. Besides Tohru and his little sister Momo, he'd never had any completely normal human friends before. This would be a nice first. "We will most certainly become the heart breakers of the school!"_

_"EH?!"_

The memory made Momiji giggle, eyes arching into half moons. Then he stood up, stretched, and walked over to his friend, chipper as always. "Really? You do? Oh, _cool_! What is it, Jinka?" inquired the Rabbit, beaming, clapping his hands together with obvious energy. Jinka grinned at him. Momiji had come to suspect that Jinka merely loved compliments, having his ego stoked, and having somebody as easily excited as Momiji was around to keep his creativity levels high. Those, however, next to gossip (Jinka was the editor and president of the university newspaper, after all!), were the _only_ things he enjoyed. Otherwise, he was the essence of indifference.

Behind Jinka, a light Irish voice spoke up. "Oi! Beanpole! Lemme through, ya great lug, or I will do unspeakable things to you!"

The strawberry turned; behind him was a short, stocky youth who looked a little like a Viking with the muscled build, red hair, long facial hair, and petite(ish) stature (for a guy). They actually called him Viking a lot, too, though his name was actually Shigeru Arisaka. Momiji and Shigeru had met during Calculus as freshmen, and Momiji and Jinka had moved him in with them the following year, having hung out a lot since. They were all inseparable now. It rather reminded Momiji of Tohru and her two best friends, Uo and Hana. "What kind of unspeakable things?"

Shigeru opened his mouth. Then he closed it again. Defiance flashed in his eyes. "The kind you can't speak about," Viking grumbled, irked. Jinka laughed. Evidently, Shigeru hadn't planned out his "unspeakable things" yet.

Momiji waved, elated. "Hi, 'Geru!"

"Hey, Goldie Locks. How's it hanging?" the Irishmen asked, butting his way into the room. Then, without waiting for an answer, the hazel eyed Viking cast Jinka a sidelong glance. "So...what's the 'gossip' you heard about, Jinks?" They'd based Jinka's nickname off the English word, 'jinx', which sounded the same way. And, honestly, it was rather fitting for Jinka, anyway.

"There's a new girl at the school!"

Momiji grinned. "Are you sure she's not just a freshmen you just haven't hit on yet?" The blonde chuckled. "There's no way you've met them all already, anyway. It's plausible."

Lifting his index finger, he shook his head grimly. "I'm sure. She's new, and she's in a higher grade level than us! She's past her senior year!"

Shigeru and Momiji exchanged glances. He knew Jinka pretty well by now, and he knew that he _only_ hit on younger women. Always. So Momiji now didn't understand why Jinka cared about some new girl. His brown eyes widened, and he cocked his head to the side in a childish manner, mouth in a tiny 'o' of confusion. "Hm? Alright...so what?"

"_But she's our age!_" Jinka finished triumphantly.

Momiji gaped, as if this was the most important anything he'd ever heard before, eyes huge, cheeks flushed. "Wow! She's a _genius_!" gasped the male, stunned and impressed simultaneously. "Oh, Jinka! We _must _meet her! She's skipped grades, and therefore will fit in wonderfully with us! Let's adopt her!" Shigeru bobbed his head up and down in agreement, mute. Things like this did _not_ happen at this university. Interesting things, that is.

Jinka grinned broadly, slinging an arm around Momiji's shoulders. "Way ahead of you, brethren!" The word 'brethren' made Momiji laugh, eyes becoming half moons again. His roommate was so weird. But he loved him anyway. "Already found her room number. 231, the building over. C'mon, lets go introduce ourselves!" With endless amounts of energy, the three spun toward the door and made a break for it, bursting out (somehow managing to all fit through it). This done, the dynamic trio ran like Olympian runners out of their dorm room complex, down the stairs (too antsy to wait for the elevator), out the door, across the street (diving cars left and right), and into her building. By the time they reached the second floor, they had to stop, winded, catching their breath before proceeding.

Then they were standing outside of it now, brown, green, and hazel eyes stretched wide, wondering what type of girl would be two years in advance in relativity to them, yet be their age. _She is probably one of those really pretty smart girls with glasses and pigtails, with the really innocent faces! I bet she loves ice cream. We'll probably be good friends._ Momiji considered, before all three of them reached out their arms, plagued by the same thought, and rapped smartly on the door in unison before smiling at each other. Then they sat back and waited, watching her door like it was going to jump out and bite them. They gulped, beginning to perspire with nervous energy.

The door opened, and a fifth year girl stood there, one named Serena, with dark skin and hair in dreadlocks. She had big caramel eyes and white teeth, along with a somewhat star-shaped birthmark under an eye, tiny and hard to see unless one stared at it for a long time (which Momiji had, after Shigeru insisted that it was a star). Shigeru had had a crush on her for the first two years of college, but now insisted he was over her (not that anybody believed him). An eyebrow crawled up her forehead. "Huh? What are _you_ three doing here?" Serena asked, perplexed.

"Is the Green Bean here?" Jinka asked, grinning flirtatiously at her.

Serena blinked. "'Green Bean'?"

"Oh, you know. The newbie. She's your roommate, isn't she?" Jinka continued, waving a hand expressively. "The girl our age?"

The light bulb came on. "Oh. Little Miss Alternative," Serena mumbled before nodding. Momiji brightened immediately. "I'll send her out." Looking over her shoulder, she bellowed, "_KAEDEKUSAKITHEREAREPEOPLEHEREFOR YOU!_"

A beat passed. Then another. Then they heard footsteps, and a voice piped up, the body too small to be seen from behind Serena. "_What_ was that? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you, I was too busy summoning demons, doing drugs, and repainting your room-"

With a squawk, Serena whirled around and sprinted toward where they assumed her room would be to check to see if it had survived. Jinka and Shigeru laughed, though Momiji thought what the new girl had done was a little mean. Oh well. It wasn't his place to say, really. Then the door opened all the way, and the three boys couldn't help but stare. There stood a girl, barely an inch taller than 5", wearing a tank top, lots of arm bands, jeans, fuzzy boots, and a fox hat (not made from fur, just knitted to look like a fox). She had pasty skin so pale that Momiji could see every vein dark and clear, pale pink eyes, and short, unruly green hair. Seeing that there were three boys there, she blinked, startled. Then her expression became cold.

_No glasses. No pigtails. Not a particularly innocent face. Probably not an ice cream lover. Scary._ Momiji felt like all his hopes and dreams had been shoved down his throat. Then the girl cocked her head to the side, thoughtful, and extended her hand to all of them, who each shook it numbly, staring at the odd female. "I'm Kaede Kusaki. I don't keep friends, so if that was your plan, tough nuts. But, if you want a drinking buddy, I can _definitely_ hold my own."

Momiji, Shigeru, and Jinka gawked at the lady, but she just stood there, chewing her lower lip in an adorable fashion and dropping her hand to her side when they had all finished shaking it. Then they all let out a collective sigh.

What had they just gotten themselves into?

Jinka was the first one to redeem himself. "I'm Jinka Tsunade. This is Shigeru Arisaka, also known as "Viking", and Momiji Sohma." He jerked a thumb at each of them in turn, grinning at Kaede. Or, rather, grinning at her _extremely_ bodacious breasts—it was hard not to notice, since her indigo tank top was a little small on her, exposing her perfectly sculpted stomach muscles on one end and a fair amount of cleavage on the other. At least a double-D, the boys would have to guess.

"Well, hello there, little monsters," grinned the greenette, rosy eyes gleaming at the prospect of prey. And it was like they really _were_ prey, too—she watched them like a hawk, eyes wide and wary, her smirk lopsided and almost feral. She was like a wild animal, tame when she wanted to be, but with a switchblade temper she couldn't control. Momiji inspected the predator, a desire to understand her ways burning within him, drawn to her like opposite magnets. "Come to take a bite out of old Kaede, ne?"

"Absolutely," Jinka responded immediately, a Cheshire cat grin springing across his face. Momiji's cheeks darkened a little at the implications his friend was giving her.

But Kaede wasn't offended in the least. Instead, she threw her head back and laughed. "I'm gonna like you guys, I can tell," Kaede chuckled. She had a very laid-back, almost _lazy_ way of speaking, slow at deliberate, as if she was speaking to a child, stressing every word, every syllable equally. However, it was just as obvious that she wasn't doing it to be condescending. Not at all. She simply had strange speaking mannerisms, much like Tohru..."So, what year are y'guys?"

Shigeru finally got his voice back. "One below you—seniors. Though we're your age...you're...ah, you're twenty-one, right?"

"Right you are, Viking!" Adopting the nickname in a stride, as if _she'd_ been present while they invented it, she shot a wide, shit-eating grin at them. "Got into college early. I plan on being an author, y'see. I'll be famous one day! Went to a four year college in a different continent, and I'm finishing up my last two years here." Bright eyes landed on Momiji, seeming to be speaking directly to him. "What're you guys here for?"

Again, Jinka took over. "I am majoring in theater, and minoring in directing—if I can't act myself, I intend to _direct_ said actors! Viking is majoring in crafts, folk art, and artisanry—wants to be an art therapist—and minoring in German. Why the Irishman wants to learn German, I will never understand. And Momiji here is majoring in music—he plays a _mean_ violin! Wish he's try some fiddle music too, but he's more into classics."

Kaede had been watching Momiji this whole time, a vibrant sunset meeting the rich earth, unblinkingly. One of her pale silvery eyebrows lifted up elegantly. "..And his minor?"

"None. That's all he wants to do. Doesn't even have a plan for what he _wants _to do once he's done here. All he knows is that he wants to play the-"

Momiji, on a spurt of hyperactive energy, threw himself on Jinka and tackled him to the floor. The boys wrestled, and Momiji, spurred by his distaste for humiliation, somehow ended up on top. His acorn eyes flickered up to Kaede, pleading with her to leave the conversation at that. She, for her part, couldn't seem more uninterested. Already her eyes were half lidded, and she was masking a yawn. "Well, 'Rena is pretty boring. So d'you mind if we carry on the conversation at your place?" Without waiting for a reply, she stepped out into the hallway, barely giving them enough time to scramble back to make room for her, and slammed the door shut behind her. "Thanks."

Their trek back to the boys' dorm room was uneventful. None of them talked much. Just the usual "How is the weather?" "Fine. Nice day?" "Yeah." Nothing important, nothing major. Though Momiji couldn't imagine _how_ they intended to carry out a conversation with Kaede, who seemed entirely unmotivated by life. How had she made it five years in college? She acted like she didn't care!

When they opened the door to their complex for her, she strode in like she owned the place and threw herself down on Shigeru's bed, face-down. Momiji blanched, knowing how Shigeru was about his things, and looked over at the redhead...only to sweat-drop when he saw that, instead of blowing a gasket like he did any time _THEY_ so much as _touched_ his bed, was admiring her shapely butt. Which made Momiji want to look at it, not because he was a pervert, but merely because he was wondering why Jinka and Shigeru were so fascinated with her body.

Then she spoke. "..This bed smells like Old Spice cologne."

Shigeru blushed, and Jinka laughed out loud, walking over to a swivel chair and plopping down onto it, lounging. "Sounds like Viking. He loves the stuff."

Her eyes slowly shifted to Jinka. "..Why do you always answer for Shigeru and Momiji?" This left Jinka thoughtful. But then he smiled and blustered his way through it with a lying technique any normal boy would be jealous of. Jinka could talk his way out of anything!

...Except Kaede, apparently. Her attitude of complete and utter nonchalance continued as she rested her face onto Shigeru's pillow. After a few minutes of Jinka rambling, not realizing he wasn't being listened to, she got up, and plopped herself into Jinka's bed. To herself, she muttered another cologne name, something in another language (probably French, knowing cologne titles). How many boys did she hang around with to memorize the brand names of every type of cologne out there? What a strange girl.

Then she went over to the bed by the window, the third bed in the room—Momiji's. She laid spread-eagle upon it, staring up at the ceiling. Then she turned onto her side, away from the wall the bed was up against, leaving room for a whole other person on it. Curling her arms under her head, she stayed still, inhaling sharply. Kaede was silent. Then she frowned. "..Don't recognize," she breathed, closing her eyes and appearing to concentrate. Completely baffled by this point, Shigeru, Jinka, and Momiji exchanged glances, curious and weirded out simultaneously. Kaede looked over at the lot of them. "Whose bed is this?" She asked, tone bland.

Shigeru and Jinka jerked their thumbs at Momiji, who rolled his eyes. Traitors. He shrugged, a lighthearted smile on his face, expression childlike.

Kaede, for the second time that night, was staring at him. But this time, there was approval in her eyes. "Individuality," she began, voice appreciative, "is the number one thing society today is lacking. Material things shape us, who we hang out with defines us, and being different is a bad thing. There is no way to win in this world. We are not ugly. Society is ugly."

Jinka was the only one who understood the reference. "Marilyn Monroe," he said, smiling.

Without smiling back, she nodded, eyes intensifying as her gaze moved to him. Though they didn't realize it, all three boys leaned toward her, giddy with anticipation for her next words. "'Tis true." Then she looked back at Momiji, something strange in her eyes. What was it? _It looks_, Momiji mused, surprised, _a bit like hope_. He would know. His own eyes had been lacking it lately. "You don't use cologne, yes?" He nodded. Kaede watching him, as if trying to read his soul, before dipping her head in acknowledgment. "You smell nice. And thank you for being different." This stated, she wiggled up and rested her cheek on his neon yellow pillow, still staying as far from the wall as she could.

Momiji was stunned, breathless with amazement. Here he'd been, trying to be the same person he'd always been for Tohru, following Jinka and Shigeru around like they were his only chance at survival, and trying to push himself as far away from the Sohma family as he could in an effort to be normal, to blend in, to be like everyone else. Although he treasured his ties to his family, particularly the ones whom had suffered from the Curse, he knew that it marked him as different, a freak. Yet here was some girl who hardly knew him, praising him for his originality. _Thanking_ him, even! He didn't know how to deal with this. He was torn between elation and revulsion. Elation because of her unconditional acceptance, and revulsion because it was somebody like _her_ (somebody who chose not to care and somebody who was his polar opposite) who was giving it. But happiness won over, and he found he was unable to repress his massive grin.

"Also," she piped up after a moment, eyes having closed as he was thinking to himself, "I am sleeping in this bed for the night."

Momiji's eyes widened—there was _NO_ way the administration would allow a girl to sleep in there for the night! The other two voiced their opinions, indignant for Momiji's sake. "W-what? What about your room?" asked Jinka, outraged.

"And what about Momiji? Where is _he_ s'posed to sleep?" grumbled Shigeru, crossing his arms.

Not even bothering to open her eyes, she waved a hand expressively. "Eh. Did I _say_ he wasn't allowed to sleep here too?" Then, answering her own question, she raised her voice to say, "_No_ I did _not_. There's room. Y'see?" Kaede twitched her body in a miniature spasm toward the space on the bed closest to the wall. "And, although I didn't notice at first, I forgot to bring a room key, and Serena goes to bed early every night. Plus she is _nasty_ to wake up. So, for the sake of me living another day, I vote that I say here. Savvy?"

By this point, Momiji's cheeks were a little red. Sharing a bed? With a _girl_? For whatever reason, Momiji had never assumed this day would come, and now that it had, he had no idea what to do. Should he tell her to leave? Should he get ready for bed? After a moment of indecisiveness, he chose the latter, turning toward the bathroom to get into more comfortable clothes to sleep in. He heard rumblings from the other three, arguing for his sake. But he didn't really mind that much. Momiji just wanted to sleep—it didn't matter _too _much if it was with somebody as unappealing as Kaede. Then, however, he chastised himself mentally. He was being far too hard on her! Sure, she acted a little odd, but really, were any of them any different? She was special in her own way, too! So, feeling a lot better about these sleeping arrangements, he tugged on boxers and a shirt (usually he slept shirtless, but with Kaede here, he was feeling low on confidence) and walked out of the room.

His roommates had passed out in their beds, not even turning the lights off. They must've fought until their bodies gave out, Momiji realized, watching them fondly. With a small laugh, he flicked the light switch and wandered around piles of dirty clothes and miscellaneous objects Jinka and Shigeru _definitely_ didn't need, somehow finding his bed without stubbing his toe. However, it slipped his thoughts to be mindful of Kaede's location, for he bumped her upper thigh on his way to the front of his bed. Although she couldn't see him in the dark, he blushed. "S-sorry, Kaede!"

She was silent. Was she asleep? His blush receded, just beginning to relax, when she spoke up. "'S fine. Did you know that those are the first words you've spoken to me so far?"

Already his cheeks were flaming again. "What?" Momiji whispered, shimmying under the quilt and sheets. "What do you mean?"

""S-sorry, Kaede!"" She imitated him, much to his chagrin. He imagined her smiling. It was a lot better of a picture than the sneer that probably lined her delicate features. "Pitiful impression, really. Though, what do first words matter, anyway? First impressions don't really mean anything. Last words and final impressions hold all the power, I think."

As Momiji considered this, and what she meant by it, Kaede flipped over to face him, shifting forward. His breath caught in his throat, eyes wide as her body was suddenly pressed up against his, her skin cool while his was hot, her breath moist on his neck and smelling faintly of cinnamon. For a moment, he thought she planned on kissing him, and he'd be lying if he said his heart didn't jump for joy at the idea. He'd never been kissed before, not on the lips. Nor had he contemplated it since Tohru had fell for Kyo. But Kaede didn't, and although Momiji had originally relished at the thought of it, he was relieved. He wasn't ready. And he didn't want his first kiss to be this type of girl. "What are you doing?" he asked, voice soft.

"I'm cold. You're warm. Like all humans in this sort of situation, I am drawn to body heat," she stage-whispered in reply.

His body shook with laughter, smiling broadly now, eyes arching. "Makes sense," he sniggered, still keeping his voice low.

He heard the smile in her voice when she replied. This time, he wasn't just imagining it. "Doesn't it? I'm glad you think so, Momiji Sohma." Then, her voice quieter this time, she drowsily added, "I think I'm gonna like you, Momiji."

Blinking, he stared at where her dark form was, astonished. He hadn't expected her to say something like that to him. That was a large shock. "Oh yeah?" Momiji asked, still being happy-go-lucky about this entire development. But she didn't answer, and he realized she'd fallen asleep. Momiji smiled at her for a moment, a silly expression on his face. Then he laid his head down on the pillow as well, still facing her, still smiling. Kaede, though she was a piece of work, was still an interesting person after all. And he was determined to find out _what_, exactly, Kaede Kusaki cared about.

* * *

When the boys woke up the next morning to the sound of their alarm going off, Kaede had already left, not even leaving a note. Momiji could still smell her scent of lemongrass and ginger on his bedside, and couldn't help but breathe it in, recalling how warm he'd been beside her...and deciding he'd probably never get as fitful a night sleep again as he did that night.


	2. Touched

**( It took me waaaaay too long to get to this next update. =_= I have no legitimate excuse other than this is the end of the year slump, AP exams are finally done, and life has finally caught up with me [though if anyone in real life asks, I will deny that fact]. I definitely won't wait this long next time! :D Anyway, this story had a stellar first response! Keep those comments, compliments, and critiques coming, ladies and gents! )**

"Kaede-chaaaan! Kaede Kusaki!" Sure enough, that _was_ her green head (not to be mistaken with any other green heads there may be at the university), for it perked up in response to his cries and whipped his way. Momiji jogged to meet her, smiling broadly, delighted. However, his hopes and prayers that they'd forged some super-strong bond in that single night they'd slept together was poorly founded, for she didn't smile in response, or acknowledge him in any other way than to watch him approach. Really, she looked irritated at best.

When he drew near, he slowed down, closing the distance between them. She placed a hand on her hip, looking up at the beaming male expectantly. "Why did you leave so early in the morning, Kaede-chan? I had plans to make breakfast and everything!" Now that he knew where he stood with her (mostly), the Momiji Sohma we all know and love showed his true colors, bouncing energetically from foot to foot. Really, he'd barely matured since high school—at least he rarely wore girlish clothing anymore. Shigeru and Jinka had beaten that out of him, to the Sohma family's delight.

Her expression was completely deadpan when she replied. "I'd already made a hindrance of myself. I had to go and get clothes from my room, and anyway, I'm lactose intolerant—you'd've probably made the wrong thing entirely," Kaede explained dismissively, waving a hand in front of her nose as if she'd inhaled a bad smell.

Momiji wilted slightly. He'd forgotten why he'd been so wary of this girl initially—she was cruel. Before he could attempt to defend himself, a heavy hand snapped on his shoulder like a vise, reeling him in until he bumped into its owner—none other than Jinka himself! The strawberry leered at Kaede, making no effort to mask the fact he was staring at her chest. "Looking cute today, Kusaki!" Momiji blinked, before smiling at Kaede, who _was_, in fact, looking "cute". With a long blue-grey trench coat, a pink blouse, black pencil skirt, and knee-high vibrant red rain boots, she looked almost like a child, having shed her more alternative clothing from the day before. Her green hair wasn't styled in any way, just continued to flop lifelessly on her head, barely reaching past her ears, unruly and voluptuous as ever. Lip gloss had been dabbed on her mouth, and she wore dark eyeliner and green eyeshadow. Indeed, she _did_ look "cute".

"I'm always looking cute, Jinx," she muttered in response, arranging her books in her arms and balancing her latte precariously as she did so. However, nothing spilled, so it was a job well done. Then she sighed, reaching up with her free hand to run it agitatedly through her tresses before looking away from them pointedly. "Was there more?"

Jinka watched her, his eyebrows climbing up onto his face. Momiji had always been envious of Jinka for that ability—to perfectly depict every expression on his face flawlessly, like his face had been exactly sculpted just for that. He was staring at Kaede, since she had suddenly developed bipolar disorder since they'd last seen her. "You," he told her flatly, "are a bitch."

"J-Jinka!" Momiji gasped, horrified. But Kaede was smiling now.

"I get that a lot."

"I'm sure you do," Jinka responded with a nod to her, eyes gleaming. Then, hooking his arm around Momiji's, he pinwheeled them around, and marched them off toward campus. Resisting, Momiji mumbled some incoherent things about Jinka going to far, and Kaede not being a bitch, and how he couldn't speak that way to a lady, and how it was only her second day, but Jinka wouldn't hear of it. Instead, he spoke softly, so softly that Momiji had to strain to hear him. "Look, Momiji. You have a bad habit of letting women walk all over you. Especially since Tohru." Jinka and Shigeru were the only two outside the Sohma family who knew about _anything—_they knew about how tightly knit they all were (though not why—no way would Momiji tell them about the Zodiac issue), about how Kyo had swooped in and swept Tohru off her feet, and about all of Momiji's failed relationships since then. "Even if Kaede _is_ going to become a friend of ours, no way am I going to let her mess you up even more, 'k?"

The blonde adult stared at Jinka, brown oculars stretching wide. Finally, after a beat of pure shock, he nodded. "Erm...uh...sure, um, yeah. Cool."

After all, what could one say to something like _that_?

* * *

Classes today had been rough. Unlike most of the Sohma family, Momiji had never quite gotten the hang of school, and never was at the top of his class. Somewhere in the middle was where he had made his domain. There was also the fact that Momiji was a bit hyperactive, completely being unable to stay still, causing a ruckus wherever he went, having spontaneous outbursts in class, saying everything that was on his mind when it was on his mind, and so forth. Now that he had just gotten done with break, _and_ had made an acquaintance to somebody like Kaede Kusaki, he had far too much on his mind to stay silent. And so, the whole note-taking process, listening to the teacher dilemma, and paying attention idea were eliminated. There was no hope for him. So he arrived in his dorm, throwing open the door, shrugging out of his backpack, and proceeded to flop into his bed with a groan of pleasure.

He'd hardly been there a minute before he heard a knock on the door. Momiji sighed, blinked, and then rolled over onto his back. "_What_? Did you lose the key again, Viking?" grumbled the blonde, his mental exhaustion irritating him. He used to never get irritated. Things had changed. He'd lost T-

"Oi! Yellow Mellow! Lemme in!" Kaede's voice was unmistakeable, and the sheer volume of it made Momiji jump about a foot in the air. Apparently, the fact that he didn't instantly come to the door to let her in made her believe he was angry with her or something, because he heard a small thump as she smacking her head into the door. He imagined her forehead leaning there, too drained to move. "Look, I'm sorry, ok? There's a lotta shit going on in my life currently, and sometimes I'm short-tempered. You'll get used to it. S'not so bad after awhile, really!" Momiji was now sitting up, staring at the door disbelievingly. For some reason, he hadn't pegged Kaede as the type to apologize easily. "Please let me in?"

Sliding off the bed, he meandered his way over to open the door, looking down at her in surprise. He couldn't quite fathom why she'd shown up here at all. It seemed so out of character. With a jolt of interest, he noted that she'd changed clothes, now wearing small shorts and a large, oversized orange sweater, and flip-flops. She seemed to have been preparing to say more, because she was standing there, pink orbs wide and mouth slightly agape, just having begun to formulate another word. His gaze traced her plump lips, moving up to her babyish face, long nose, voluptuous eyelashes, and artfully made eyebrows, before resting on her odd-textured hair. Momiji reached out, placing a hand on her head and ruffling it curiously; it felt as strange as it looked. Layered and fluffy, soft as silk, in a rather boyish style. "What color was your hair originally, Kaede-chan? Or do you naturally have green hair?"

She still seemed stunned. But then she smiled. Momiji studied the action; he wished she would laugh. He'd never seen her laugh before. Would her eyes crinkle, or her face crease? Would he see all her teeth, or was she more of a quiet, subtle laugher? "It was white," Kaede admitted with a shrug.

Momiji nearly joked. "W-white?! That's not a normal color either!" He informed her blithely, as if he was uncertain that she was aware of this.

Her smile became more crooked, metamorphosing into a brusque grin. "It is if you were an albino, like me!" Momiji's eyes widened; _that_ was it! The reason for the pale, nearly translucent skin, the reddish pinkish eyes, the dyed hair, the flamboyant make-up! She was an _albino_. "And green is a much better color than white, anyhow. White didn't suit me."

He beamed brilliantly at her. "I concur! Green in definitely more up your alley! It looks great on you!" One of her brows quirked up, an amiable expression on her face, an amalgam of emotions conflicting over her features. Apparently, his annexation of a compliment had amused her.

"Oh, really? I doubt it."

"You shouldn't doubt something as obvious as that!" Momiji insisted, relieved she wasn't freaked out by his earlier statement.

Kaede's eyes gleamed. "Have you the audacity to doubt my veracity, Momiji Sohma?" It took him a moment to decipher those words: have you the daring to disbelieve my truthfulness? Suddenly, he grinned. She really _would_ make a good author, with a vocabulary as such. And he told her so! Surprisingly, she flushed at the compliment, her ivory complexion turning as red as Shigeru's hair. "What would you know? You've never read anything of mine," she muttered, closing off again.

His eyes appealed to her, unable to apprehend her reaction. And things had been going so well! What he he done? Now he needed to assuage her worries about his honesty. "How about you show me some, then? I bet I'll be very impressed!" the youth laughed, eyes arching in a pleasant manner, smiling. She was completely amoral, and he didn't understand what to do with her irrational, unpredictable behavior, but for some reason, he wanted to try.

Pink eyes appraised him. Then Kaede shook her head slowly at him, attempting to ascertain his ingenuity. Finding her answer somehow in his eyes, she shrugged again. Momiji came to the conclusion that her "shrugging" business was simply because of her lack of communication, or at least, her inability to do so. "Whatever. Come on, I guess," she mumbled, pushing past him. "You got a notebook? I'll write you something."

Not having anticipated that response, he exhaled swiftly, almost having expected her to agree. He looked on after her before grinning like and idiot, then he bobbed his head up and down. "Sure, just a second!" Spinning around on his heel, he sprinted into Shigeru's room. He did lots of freehand sketches of things, and therefore had a lot of notebooks, some used, some half-used, some forgotten, some damaged, some unused. Taking an unused one, he held it tightly to his chest and plucked up an ebony pencil (one of Shigeru's favorite means in which to draw). There were no regular pencils around, and if Shigeru found out and was angry about it, he'd just buy the ginger a new one. Why not? They couldn't be that expensive, right? At least, not for a Sohma.

When he returned with the supplies, he paused in the doorway, seeing that she'd made herself at home at their kitchen table that had four seats instead of three, as if the final had been waiting for her. They'd all wanted to only keep three, but Jinka was somewhat of a neat freak, and had required the Round Table (that's what they jokingly called it, seeing as it was round, and they were all fans of those stories of King Arthur, Merlin, and Camelot) to be symmetrical. The sun was setting, the skies a vibrant orange and red, the tree by the window filtering sunlight through it, dappling her in gold and tawny and shadows, her eyes were only half open, basking in the warmth, head on her hand and elbow on the table, tilting her face toward the light, her too-long sleeves covering dainty hands, and Momiji is filled with the sensation to walk over to her, take her face in his hands, and—

"Oh, hey, you're back. Or...maybe not. Actually, your face implies that your subconscious mind is far away. Back to earth, please!" the young lady intruded upon his thoughts, smiling over at him. Momiji started, and she snorted quietly. Almost a laugh. Almost. Suddenly, hearing her laugh was important to him, and he made a note to up his game so he could hear that laugh.

With a ditzy chuckle, he walked over and plopped the supplies down. Eagerly, Kaede snatched up the pencil, and opened the notebook to a random spot toward the back, maybe twenty or thirty pages from the end. "Sorry. I was daydreaming."

Kaede looked up at him, face shining. "I know." He was about to ask 'how', when she supplied the answer. "Your face...it was obvious." His mouth closed, and she grinned. Then the girl with the glowing features looked down at the blank pages before her, twisting the ebony pencil in her hand, seeming to relish in the smooth, hardly chipped texture of the wood.

"Ah," Momiji murmured, smiling still, gaze softening as he looked at her, "that makes sense."

She absentmindedly nodded, before jerking suddenly, head cocked to the side as something dawned upon her. Bemused, he waited for her to enlighten him. Which she did, promptly. "I usually listen to music when I work. Mozart, Beethoven, Bach; any sort of instrumental of any type of music. Preferably something slower, that I can relax to..." Kaede instructed, giving him a look as if she could see right through him.

That look made him want to hug her. He'd never hugged anyone except Tohru and Momo. It hadn't always been that way. But, even since the Curse had been lifted, he still felt anxious, fearing he'd be rejected, unwilling to put himself out there and just be himself anymore. So why did he want to hug Kaede?

"I have a few CDs. Be right back!" Again, he turned to do as instructed of him, heading to his room. Most of his music taste were of famous violinists, people he looked up to, and was inspired by. As he scavenged through his case of musicians, he giggled when he heard Kaede sneeze from the kitchen, followed by a mumble of something incoherent. A few minutes passed as he became lost in thought, wondering which of the two artists he'd narrowed his search down to would she she better. Then there was a scooting of the chair, and a creak. Silence followed. She'd probably stood up and stretched, he reasoned, mind otherwise far away.

He had a feeling things weren't as perfect as they seemed, that something within the Sohma family would return. Already the post-Zodiac members were inexplicably tied together. Them being bonded was inevitable. There was no way to escape, even now that he'd finally gotten away, that he'd been freed. He could just _tell_ there was something else, something missing. Something that hadn't been explained. Although the adults wouldn't talk about it, denying that they'd sensed anything amiss, the younger ones—Hatsuharu, Rin, Hiro, Kisa—they all had that feeling. There was definitely something they had overlooked. Rin, personally, thought it related to Ren in some way, though she'd found no way to prove that. It had been a hunch, that's all. But the five of them still had to admit...there was something wrong.

They just needed to find out what.

Mind on the Sohma Curse now, and no longer thinking about Kaede, whose fault it was that he was thinking about any of this at all, he did Eenie-Meanie-Minie-Moe and chose one, a more modern superstar named Chris Carmichael, Momiji nudged his bedroom door back open and headed toward the kitchen once more, eyes trained on the list of songs on the CD.

"So, this guy, Carmichael, he's-" Momiji broke off, brown eyes having just flickered up, seeing an empty Round Table. For a moment he looked at it, uncomprehendingly. Then Momiji gasped, nearly dropping the CD, looking around for Kaede, who had mysteriously disappeared from the room. He dashed toward the door, opening it, and glanced about the hallway. No Kaede. Then, closing the door, he heard a creak. That must have been the same one he'd heard earlier, he assumed glumly. It had been Kaede leaving. Maybe Jinka was right about her.

What was her hurry, anyway? Hadn't she planned to stay long? Feeling a little hurt, Momiji wilted like a dehydrated flower, turning toward the window, imagining her there with the notebook and pencil. Deciding to return them before Shigeru noticed, Momiji walked over to collect the two, sighing softly. Then he paused, staring down. A messy chicken-scrawl was on the notebook paper, a little crinkled and smeared, like a hand had been dragged across it, or an arm. But it was there, the strange curly, loopy calligraphy, which he assumed was Kaede's. He lit up, and sat down in her seat, which was still warm from her body heat. The air around still smelled a little like her. Getting himself situated, he got into a comfortable position and prepared to read, smiling delightedly to himself. Out loud, he began to read the simple paragraph she had written for him.

"_I watched him frown as a sudden melancholy gripped his features. Watching him, I could almost see a little boy sitting in his bed swathed in blankets and dirty clothes and comic books. He peers out his window and down at the street, and he sees children playing and running and laughing. He sees them and hears them, but he's like a figurine caught within a snow-globe: so close to the world outside that it's almost as though he could reach out and touch it. But instead of the warm bodies of others and the thrumming of life and fresh air, his fingers are restrained by an invisible, insuperable barrier never meant to be crossed. And, as he gazes at the picture of me with my odd, ragtag, makeshift group of friends, I resist the urge to throw my arms around him and kiss him for all that I'm worth."_

Although he couldn't even begin to understand why, he felt tears in his eyes; he sniffed loudly, and then teardrops stained the paper, and pretty soon he was sobbing, and he didn't know what had caused it, what exactly was in that simple paragraph with six sentences that struck a chord in him, that moved him, that touched the piece of his soul he'd locked up so very tightly for all these years.


	3. Before It All Falls Apart

**( Alright—I am SO sorry for my brief hiatus. Just...summertime laziness. However, the family is stealing me away for two weeks to go on a roadtrip on the 8th to the 23rd, so I figured I'd stop being lazy now. Anyway, I officially figured out what the big plot twist for this story will be, and how it will end! ^_^ Now the trick'll just be getting there. No need to fret, my lovelies! You're gonna love it, I swear. I should really start planning these things out more before I write them...some room for spontaneity and movement is alright, but I'm not so sure that an entire _story_ should be run that way. Anyway, comment and critique and compliment, please! There are a _whole_ lot more people reading this than there are people reviewing it, and I am upset. =c=b )**

"Why did you leave yesterday, Kaede?" Momiji asked, cornering her in the hallway. He'd just gotten out of his musical theory course, and by some dumb stroke of luck, she had been leaving a class of her own at the same time. He immediately swept in upon her. He felt like he should be angry with her, but...anger had never been Momiji's way. Not when his mother couldn't love him, not when Momo didn't know him, not when Akito struck him, not when Kyo took Tohru away. All he could do was sit, and nod, and smile, ignoring the hollowness within him.

She stood there in her royal blue sweater and green jeans, looking both afraid and defensive. The two emotions were conflicting in a highly entertaining war on her face, but eventually defensiveness won over and she scowled. It was a very impressive looking scowl, really. "I don't need to _explain_ myself to you, Momiji!" the lass hissed, trying to maneuver her way around him.

He barred the way with both arms, eyebrows furrowing, expression more serious than he could ever recall it being. "Yes, you _do_! Kaede, you sent me out of the room on a mission, and then left me there alone! Why did you lie to me? Why did you write those things?" His voice was hushed and beseeching, not angry, like it should have been. Hearing his words, and his tone, the fight seeped out of the young lady. She winced a little, his words causing her some sort of pain.

Suddenly, Momiji realized how close in proximity they were to each other, how close his barring-her-way technique had brought them. His face was level with her own. He could see each imperfection on her face; a scar slicing through the end of her right eyebrow, pale markings from where her teenaged acne had once been, the slightly darker skin tone of her face in comparison to the rest of her body due to her hastily putting on her make-up this morning...it was all beautiful, in a way. Strange how much one could tell just from one close up. Her breath smelled like peppermint, and her lips puckered ever-so-slightly, as if they wanted him to dive in closer. But he didn't. Instead, he gave her an encouraging smile, and straightened up, dropping his arms. Her wide eyes stared at him for a moment, quizzical; but then she released the breath she'd been holding, the tension melting away from her.

"I had to leave," she finally admitted, looking away.

Momiji watched her. "Your story-"

"Did you like it?"

"N-neh?" he blinked, bewildered, mind not having caught up with her yet. It was still on the track of the sentence she had so rudely cut off. "O-oh! Yes, y-yes I did, Kaede! It was _wonderful_!" She smiled, a bit pleased. "I have to admit, it made me cry." Unlike most men would be, he wasn't ashamed by that fact whatsoever; probably because of his childhood, which involved him cross-dressing and acting feminine quite a lot.

Kaede laughed once, a surprised laugh, one she obviously hadn't intended to let out. "It _didn't,_" she gasped, looking both stunned and delighted. Then, however, both of those emotions fled from her face, seeing his expression. "..What?" queried the albino, puzzled with the change in him.

"You laughed!"

"...Um, yes. I _did_ laugh."

"I've never heard you laugh before!"

"You've known me for two whole days."

"You have a beautiful laugh!"

She slugged him in the arm playfully. He yelped, then rubbed his arm, which he was confident would bruise afterward. For a girl, she had a strong arm. Kaede shook his head at him, smiling, amused at something he didn't quite understand. Momiji watched her in a worshipful manner, wondering how many people had ever seen her smile so easily, or laugh as she had before. What if he was the only one? That would be...spectacular. "Y'know, most guys don't admit when they cry, let alone tell _girls_ about it."

"Do they usually tell guys about it?" Momiji asked, brown eyes bright. He seemed genuinely curious. Did he really not know?

"Um...er, no."

"Then why does it matter if I tell a girl about it?"

"I...it just...it just does!" Kaede told him, flushing. "Either way, it's weird, it's _really_ weird, Momiji!"

He smiled. "It was about me, wasn't it?"

She stared at him, at a loss. "I...what?" This time _she_ was the one a step behind.

"The story you wrote," he elaborated, those big, warm eyes boring holes into her. She couldn't look away. "Yesterday, at the Round Table. It was about me."

Kaede goggled at him. Then she grinned, almost nervously. "Ha ha." Fake laugh. He must have really surprised her. "The Round Table?"

Momiji couldn't resist a grin. "Yes, the Round Table. Now stop trying to sidetrack me."

At least she had the state of mind to seem abashed by her attempts. Kaede fidgeted, looking like she was about to try and worm her way around replying to him. He saw the look in her eye, and the way she lifted a hand to rub the corner of her mouth subconsciously, almost like she was trying to force the words back. But finally she just sighed, giving into his questioning. "I...yes. Yes it was." Her eyes flickered to the side, then down to her feet (she had _stellar_ shoelaces), and then, after a moment of uncharacteristic shyness, she looked up at him again inquisitively.

The male was looking at her, expression soft, and Kaede waited a beat before meeting his gaze. What she saw there surely stunned her, because she blinked, looking confused. Momiji lowered his face closer to her own until they were nearly nose to nose. "You were right."

"I-I was?"

"Yes. About everything. I don't know how you knew, but you did." Was Kaede just the type who was good at observing people, or was it female intuition? Perhaps both? Or was she just an extremely good guesser? He hoped it was the former. As much as it was both a relief and a fright to be wide open and vulnerable like that, it would be a huge letdown if it was all by fluke.

They just looked at each other for a moment longer. Kaede opened her mouth to speak, and the connection was broken. "Ah...most people people don't like my work," she began slowly, watching him grin when he found out he was unique among the other humans of the world. "They don't usually even take the time. My parents didn't even want me to become an author, believe it or not. They were thinkin' 'lawyer', or 'police officer'...something that would've sucked all the creativity out of me, y'know?" He nodded, still smiling down at her. She gulped, then brazenly lifted her chin, not caring how much closer that brought her to him, and just finished her idea before she got embarrassed or something weak like that. "Since you're the only person who thinks I can make anything of this, would'ya mind coming over before classes tomorrow to read some of my other shit? Serena has earlier classes, but my earliest starts at one. So if you could pop over at some point-"

"I'll be there!" Momiji piped up, absolutely aglow. With a start, Kaede jumped at his loud outburst, then proceeded to look amused. He really was a child. "I'll give you some sort've secret knock when I get there, ok, S_chatz_(1)?"

The greenette cocked her head. "Sch...atz..?" she echoed, baffled. Then, suddenly, it hit her. "_Oh_! You speak German?"

Momiji grinned. "I'm German and Japanese, Kaede! Perfectly half and half."

Kaede reached up and pulled a strand of his sunflower yellow hair, grinning right back. "That explains the blonde, then, goldie." They just grinned wildly at each other for a moment before she added, "So, my place, tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Momiji replied with a cheerful bow. Then they turned and headed down the hallway in a companionable silence, each perfectly at ease.

* * *

"_I looked at the sheet music of this after the service was done and I read some of the lyrics. Most of them were not profound enough for me to remember except this one line:  
"Tune my heart to sing thy grace"_

_I think that's beautiful. When you tune an instrument, you alter it, you shape it and mold it to be something better. Something that can produce wonderful things. And isn't that what we all wish to happen to us in the end? To have our souls and characters altered for the better? And sometimes the only thing that can really inspire change in yourself is someone else. Sometimes they are inept and clumsy and they make you even worse than you were before. But sometimes it's the right someone, and they tune your heart just right. So it sings the right notes. The notes that make you happy. And perhaps that is what's happening to me at this very moment—the parts of me that are off-key and discordant are being smoothed in the crescendo of a new beginning._

_You are tuning my heart. Perhaps some day I can sing your grace as well as you sing mine."_

Momiji glanced over at Kaede, who was avoiding all eye contact as she laid on her bed. Only her and Serena shared this dorm, so they could afford to each get their own room. Right now they were sitting in Kaede's, which was covered in famous and non-famous artworks, little infamous quotes and inspirational excerpts from classic books and movies and historical moments, and stacked _everywhere_ with CDs and novels from everywhere in the world. It was like living inside a very colorful, well-rounded library. However, he'd discovered that Kaede was a slob, for her clothes and whatnot were _everywhere_ in the dorm, including the floor of her room (and a bra hanging from her lava lamp, which she dashed to hide the moment they came in here).

She had held still while he scrutinized everything, and seemed relieved once he had moved on, asking for some of her random writings to start off. He'd even paged through a few semi-finished short stories she'd been working on. His praises were always high, but that could either be because she just wanted to make her happy, or because he didn't know what a high standard for writing was in the first place.

Now he was holding up the piece he'd just read out loud. "Who was this one for?" he asked curiously.

"Eh?" Pink eyes appraised him, uncertain. Then, seeing the familiar paper in his hands, she smirked a bit and rolled onto her side, propping up her head with a dainty hand. "Oh. Some chick I dated for awhile. She was a pain, but wanted me to write 'er something, so I did."

Momiji smiled. Another new fact about Kaede Kusaki. She was bisexual. For some reason, he found that amazing; it just brought so much more depth to her. She had an open-mindedness few could compare to. "Did you love her?" He asked, for no particular reason; it was simply a Momiji sort of thing to ask.

But it seemed to startle Kaede nonetheless. She then gave him a very serious look. "Do you believe in love, Momiji?"

He thought of Tohru, and smiled. It was a beautiful smile. "I do." Kaede was silent, and he figured she was waiting for more. So, with the delicacy and articulate manner Momiji was so well known for, he elaborated. "I believe true love is a real thing, Kaede. Perhaps some never realize it, or let it pass them by. Maybe they are even blessed with more than one love in their lifetime," he began, mind wandering to Hatori, who fell into the latter of the categories. "There are different kinds of it; you wouldn't love your friend the same way you'd love the plants in your garden, or the animals in a wildlife shelter, or the person you've chosen to be with your entire life. But sometimes you don't even need to find it in living things. I believe you can find love in anything."

People didn't speak like this. They didn't talk like this. This was a Sohma trait...but Kaede didn't know that. So she just stared at him, breathless. "..Like?" the woman whispered, looking over at him.

"Like..." He hesitated, searching for something. All he could hear was-"-the sound of a laugh from someone who hasn't laughed in a long, long time." Momiji told her, the sound of her laugh ricocheting in his mind, sounding like an ocean, like a sea breeze. It...something. It sounded like something. "Or the child that smiles at you, just because it is that innocent." Hinata, Hiro's little sister, she was like that. She is beautiful. So, _so_ beautiful. "The friend you haven't called in ten years, who still remembers you by the sound of your voice." Maybe it wasn't ten years, but it was definitely a few. He tried to run away, to forget. But she didn't. And in that single phone call, he broke; he couldn't escape. "Or...or..." She was giving him a strange look, so he stood up and put her excerpt down, needing to do something, to move around, anything to not have to look her in the eye when he spoke. He was coming on too strong, becoming too emotionally attached to this. He needed to back off. "The last piece of chocolate in a box you thought you'd already emptied." The atmosphere loosened; she was smiling, he could feel it. He wandered to her room, reading the quips and quotes and sayings she had plastered up all over the walls, tucked in between posters and paintings to brighten her day whenever she needed it. "The silence of companionship that you have with a best friend. You know, when you can just...not talk for awhile, and feel like it's the best discussion you've ever had."

Kaede chimed, "I love that."

Momiji relaxed. She hadn't said anything for awhile. This was a good sign, her talking. "Er...so, yeah." He finished, a little embarrassed now. He could talk like that to his family, to Tohru, to good friends. But he'd known Kaede for three days. It was different, somehow.

"Eloquent as always."

He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Heh," he chuckled, eyes arching. "Yeah, no kidding." Without realizing it, he'd drifted to the far corner of her room, and was staring up at painting, a famous one. Van Gogh, he suspected, admiring the technique. In order to stand here, his back had to face her. Maybe, unconsciously, that's what he'd wanted. But he'd have to face her soon. Steeling himself, he turned to look at her.

...to find that she was already looking at him. They just continued to do that for awhile. Momiji felt a burning in his blood, and he didn't understand it; it scared him. Then, she spoke, and his breath caught. For some reason, it ruined the moment [whatever that moment was]. "Momiji Sohma." He started at his name, and she didn't smile. "You really are something else."

"..." What does one say to _that? _Momiji cocked his head, utterly lost at this point. "...Thank you," he told her solemnly, and she grinned, sucking in her lips so she would not laugh.

"You're welcome," she snickered. It wasn't a full on laugh, but Momiji figured he'd count it anyway.

"You took that well," he told her.

"Took what well?"

Momiji grinned. "My very forward spiel about love existing in the world."

"Ah." She nodded. "Yes, that _was_ rather forward."

"I thought so, too."

"I think I agree with you, though."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Did you believe before?"

"Dunno. Never thought about it."

"Ok."

"Ok."

"Che."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

"No, really, _what_?"

"You."

Kaede made a face. "_Me_?" He nodded. "What about _me_?"

"Just..." He paused, sorted out his thoughts, and then completed his sentence. "..the fact that you _did_ take that so well, that you _do_ agree with me, and that you aren't acting like I'm weird, though I _definitely_ am."

"Well, it's more fun being weird, anyway," she responded, smiling. He smiled back. They sat there, just smiling at each other for awhile. Then, slowly, Kaede murmured, "I'm going to write you something." He was quiet, smile faltered. "And I'm not going to leave, and neither are you, and I will stay here when you read it." Momiji beamed, and she stared at him, and then she wandered over to her desk. She selected a pencil, tore out a piece of notebook paper, and began to write.

It was short. It only took a minute or so to word it perfectly. Then she turned and offered it to him. Momiji took it, brown eyes wandering over it. It was only three sentences long.

"_How perfect things can be before it all falls apart. He is looking at me, and then he smiles as if he thought himself the luckiest boy in the world. He looked so happy, and for some reason, it was the saddest thing I had ever seen."_

* * *

(1) German: [Noun] – treasure, fund, natural resources, wealth, store, hoard, sweetheart, darling, love, passionflower, baby, poppet, lass


End file.
